Rockets Hold Off Late-Rallying Lakers

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Rockets	16	27	27	25					95
Lakers	25	18	19	31					93

Houston 95, L.A. Lakers 93

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30 (AP) -- Rick Adelman's first game as the Houston Rockets' coach was a winning one. Kobe Bryant made it a nervous one.

Bryant scored 45 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, but Shane Battier made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in the Rockets' 95-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

Booed before the game, Bryant won back the fans - and nearly the game.

"Overall, I thought it obviously was a good win,'' Adelman said after the Rockets squandered a late 14-point lead. "We just didn't finish it very well, but the second half we were pretty solid until the last few minutes. It's hard when Bryant keeps getting on the line and the clock stops.''

Tracy McGrady scored 30 points and Yao Ming had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets.

Bryant and his old backcourt mate, Derek Fisher, almost pulled it out. After Bryant got the Lakers close, Fisher hit a jumper to cap a 13-0 run that tied it at 92 with 13 seconds remaining.

Battier followed with his 3-pointer, then fouled Bryant before he could get off a shot with 1.3 seconds on the clock.

"He's hit big shots in the past, so it's good it went to him,'' Adelman said of Battier. "We wanted to foul before he (Bryant) took the shot and we definitely did that. He hadn't even turned around yet when Shane fouled him.''

Bryant was given two free throws despite his protest that he was beyond the arc trying to shoot and should have gotten three. He made the first and intentionally missed the second. The rebound came back to him, but the ball was knocked out of his hands as time expired.

Bryant, who over the summer called the Lakers' front office a mess and asked to be traded, drew some boos during pregame introductions, but most of the fans in the sellout crowd of 18,997 were on their feet cheering when he led the team's comeback.

"I understand where they're coming from, but they really don't know the entire situation because I just keep my mouth shut -- as I should,'' Bryant said. "They shouldn't worry about it, just focus on watching us play and watching us do what we do, and the business side of it should remain behind closed doors.

"But it was good to see them come back to normal later in the game.''

He said it wasn't difficult for the Lakers to leave any problems off the court.

"When we're playing in a game, we just focus on one another and the bonds that we have,'' Bryant said. "It has nothing to do with (trade) speculation or business or anything like that.

"Business a lot of times can cloud the game and take the fun out of the game if you allow it to. And that's something that I won't allow to happen.''

After things quieted down at training camp, Lakers owner Jerry Buss stirred them up again by saying he would listen to trade offers for Bryant.

Fisher, who rejoined the team this summer, scored 17. He and Bryant were the only Lakers in double figures.

Bryant was 13-of-32 from the field and 18-of-27 from the line. The Lakers missed 18 of their 45 free throws.

The Rockets had a busy offseason, with Adelman's replacing Jeff Van Gundy just one of a number of changes. They added point guards Mike James and Steve Francis, and power forward Luis Scola of Argentina, with that trio figuring to fit well in Adelman's up-tempo offense. James had 13 points, Scola played 9 minutes and didn't score, and Francis didn't play.

Bryant, wearing a sleeve on his right arm to keep his injured wrist from stiffening up, as usual made a number of spectacular plays in the loss. In the first quarter, he drove, scooped the ball left-handed under Yao's arms, off the glass and into the hoop.

Bryant also did some playmaking, including a drive when he dropped the ball off to the trailing Ronny Turiaf and Turiaf dunked to bring a roar from the crowd.

Notes: The Lakers lost 27 of their last 43 games last season to finish 42-40, then the Phoenix Suns eliminated them in five games in the first round of the playoffs. ... Adelman, asked about Bryant before the game, joked, "I personally was kind of hoping that they made a move today, but they didn't, so I expect the best out of him and I expect the best out of the Lakers. But I can't worry about them. I have enough problems of my own.'' ... Los Angeles was without its second-leading scorer from last season, F Lamar Odom. He's still recuperating from the shoulder surgery he had last May.

source : NBA.com

Boozer, Jazz Roll Past Warriors In Season Opener

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Jazz	28	34	24	31					117
Warriors	30	21	21	24					96

Utah 117, Golden State 96

OAKLAND, October 30 (AP) -- Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams shouldn't expect invitations to Baron Davis' opulent birthday bash or Stephen Jackson's homecoming party.

The Utah Jazz stars have ruined every celebration they've attended in the Bay Area recently.

Boozer had 32 points and 15 rebounds, Williams added 24 points and the Jazz jumped right back into last season's playoff form with a 117-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

Ronnie Brewer scored 18 points and Paul Millsap added 16 for the Jazz, who reached the Western Conference finals last spring with a five-game victory over Golden State in the second round. The defeat ended the eighth-seeded Warriors' unlikely playoff run and crushed the hopes of fans who waited 13 years for a team worth cheering.

"We know they wanted payback from us ending their season,'' said Williams, who also had eight assists. "We didn't try to get into a track race with them, because they would win that. We just kept it to our pace and drove them into the ground.''

Five months later in both clubs' season opener, the Jazz still had too many of the qualities lacked by the flashy Warriors, whose raucous sellout crowd was quieted well before the final buzzer.

Boozer and Williams even managed to impress their notoriously hard-to-please coach.

"You know how hard it is to play in their building and how excited their fans are, so it was a good win in that respect,'' Jerry Sloan said. "I thought we played a lot better than I had originally anticipated. We have some size advantages, and Boozer was able to show his strength inside.''

Utah scored relentlessly in the paint, outrebounded the Warriors 56-37 and constantly capitalized on Golden State's mistakes. The Jazz led through most of the final three quarters, coolly turning back Baron Davis' attempts to start a fourth-quarter rally.

Davis had 25 points and 10 assists for the Warriors, who ended a 13-year playoff drought and upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks last season before bowing out to the Jazz. Mickael Pietrus and Monta Ellis scored 17 points apiece, but the Warriors were outclassed on both ends of the court.

"They had their way with us,'' coach Don Nelson said. "They're big and strong at all five positions, and they bullied us around. ... We played one good quarter, and that was the end of us. We missed Jackson for sure, but I don't know if he was a game-breaker.''

Golden State's hopes for another winning season are tempered by a nasty early schedule. Nelson knows the Warriors could be in for a slow start while Jackson is suspended during a seven-game opening stretch that features five opponents who won at least 50 games last season.

The Warriors' vocal swingman will be out until their trip to Toronto on Nov. 18 for the start of a five-game road trip. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal recklessness after firing a gun into the air outside an Indianapolis strip club.

"We have to be a scrappy team (without Jackson),'' Davis said. "That's what made us successful. Guys have to step up. We're not too worried. We just have to go back to the drawing board. Last year, we lost our first game, too.''

Kelenna Azubuike started in Jackson's spot, scoring 11 points.

Brewer, Utah's first-round pick in 2006, made a strong debut in his new job as the Jazz's starting shooting guard. He scored eight points in the third quarter as Utah repelled Golden State's final serious rally.

"He really played a great game,'' Boozer said. "He was playing hard on both ends, getting big baskets, and his defense got us rolling.''

But as usual, the Jazz relied on Boozer and Williams, who recently were named permanent team captains by Sloan. Williams played tough defense on Davis and showed John Stockton-style tenacity with the ball, crashing to the court with regularity.

Boozer scored 18 points in the first half, and the Jazz ran off 10 straight points to start an 18-2 run early in the second quarter. Golden State trimmed the lead to six points early in the third, but Utah made a 17-7 run led by Boozer and Brewer.

Notes: Oracle Arena swayed for 10 seconds during a 5.6 earthquake centered in nearby San Jose, but most fans didn't seem to notice. ... Utah G Matt Harpring played eight minutes despite an ankle injury, scoring one point. ... Warriors rookie Marco Belinelli had six points in his NBA debut. Brandan Wright, the eighth overall pick acquired by Golden State in a trade that sent longtime Warriors G Jason Richardson to Charlotte, began the season on the inactive list - and Nelson doesn't expect him to get off it any time soon. ... The clubs meet again Saturday night in Utah. The Jazz won't visit Oakland again this season.

source : NBA.com

Spurs Good For Openers Against Blazers

Team	1	2	3	4					Full TIme
Trail Blazers	26	23	28	20					97
Spurs	29	30	22	25					106

San Antonio 106, Portland 97

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 30 (AP) -- If only this one night, exacting San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would give his players a break.

With their newest championship banner hanging high above the sellout crowd and the players looking like kids in a candy store as they examined their shiny new championship rings, it was understandably a challenge for the team to buckle down for a regular old basketball game.

The Spurs eventually did, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 106-97 Tuesday night. And even Popovich was willing to overlook the occasional lack of concentration.

"I think the ring ceremony is always a little bit emotional and always a lot of fun,'' Popovich said. "It probably keeps you from being your best as far as focus is concerned.''

But losing focus to the point of losing a game is just not the Spurs' style.

"It's always a special game when you play after a ring ceremony,'' Tony Parker said. "It's great memories. But we're back to work and ready to defend our title.''

Aside from the win and the rings, there was other news to please Popovich. Star Tim Duncan had reached an agreement to stay until the end of the 2011-12 season and likely finish his career in Texas.

Duncan had 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs got their title defense off to a successful start. Parker added 19 points for the Spurs and Manu Ginobili had 16 points and eight assists off the bench.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 27 points. Martell Webster added 21 and Joel Przybilla contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.

"We played a very talented team, a very young team. I think they're going to be pretty good,'' Parker said. "They played a tough game. They stayed in the game, and we didn't shoot the ball well from outside.''

Aldridge said he's using the Spurs as motivation.

"I was so pumped and I was so excited because I feel one day we are going to be in that position where we're going to win and get our rings one night,'' he said. "I felt like tonight was our first step in that direction.''

Despite the long-awaited ring ceremony to kick things off, the game didn't have quite the excitement that was anticipated when it was announced the Spurs would open against the Trail Blazers, who drafted Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick. Oden had microfracture knee surgery this summer, ending his first season before practice even began.

"We were definitely looking forward to having Greg,'' Webster said. "That doesn't stop our journey. Our journey is to get to the playoffs. ... Can't say anything about championships. Mostly, we want to take this one game at a time.''

With Oden out, it only seemed appropriate that this night would be all about the Spurs.

And it was, with the Spurs controlling the game until the Trail Blazers threatened with about two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Aldridge's basket brought the Blazers within three points, the closest they'd been all quarter, with 2:01 left.

Parker made it 100-95 for San Antonio, then a goaltending call against Aldridge gave Parker another basket, putting the Spurs up 102-95 with 1:07 to play.

Brandon Roy, last season's Rookie of the Year, hit one of two free throws to make it 102-96. But another goaltending call, this time against Przybilla, gave Duncan a basket and the Spurs a 104-96 lead with 36 ticks on the clock.

"We fought the whole game, came back in the fourth quarter,'' Webster said. "We were so close, we just let that slip out of our hands.''

Brent Barry had 12 points for San Antonio. Travis Outlaw scored 11 for Portland.

After the night's highlight, the ring ceremony, it was back to square one: 82 games, make that 81 now, to go before the Spurs can even start thinking about repeating for the first time.

Parker got off to a good start, racing up and down the court and scoring 11 points in the first quarter on 4-of-5 shooting. He and Duncan had rested often during the preseason, and in the first quarter they played with all the energy they had apparently stored up during the layoff. The Spurs were up 29-26 after the first quarter and extended their lead to as many as 16 points in the second, going up 55-39 off Duncan's layup with 4:31 to go.

The Trail Blazers cut the lead in the third, though, as they outscored the Spurs 28-22. They got as close as 79-77 as Webster hit a 3-pointer with 33 seconds to play. The Spurs ended the quarter up 81-77.

Ginobili dunked with just over 10 minutes to go to give San Antonio a six-point lead, then followed with a layup 26 seconds later to put the Spurs up 88-80.

Notes: The accolades just kept coming for the Spurs. Popovich received a 2007 Distinguished Graduate Award from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Popovich graduated from the Academy in 1970 and played basketball all four years he spent there. He later served as assistant coach of the Academy's basketball team for six years. ... Darius Washington, a Spurs' training camp invitee who impressed his way onto the team, played backup point guard to Parker and hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth that put San Antonio up 84-77. ... Portland shot 50 percent from the field but had 17 turnovers.

source : NBA.com

Stern to Unveil Plans For Community Service Events

The NBA's All-Star weekend is going to be a working vacation.

With the festivities heading to New Orleans this season, the league is planning an All-Star day of service on that Friday to kick off events.

NBA commissioner David Stern will announce those plans at a news conference Wednesday before the New Orleans Hornets host the Sacramento Kings that night. The game is the first of the Hornets' full-time return to New Orleans after they spent most of the past two seasons in Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina.

"We'll be announcing the specifics of the campaign (Wednesday) when I go there, we have a community event,'' Stern said while attending the season opener in San Antonio. "But we're in, we're in for a lot. We're proud that our team is going back. We're equally proud that they're ahead in sponsorships and ticket sales of where they were pre-Katrina.

"And we think that sports has a role to play both with what we can give back, what we can build, but also what we can do to sort of improve the morale of the community and let the kids of New Orleans know that they're very much in our minds as they go to school and their families try to have a normal life.''

Every NBA team that visits New Orleans during the regular season will participate in a community activity. Through its NBA Cares program, the league and its players plan to create 40 learning or playing centers.

The NBA and its players have contributed more than $15 million to the Gulf Region, along with helping construct 35 homes and five playgrounds.

All-Star weekend is scheduled for Feb. 15-17. More than 2,500 current and former players, along with other NBA family members are expected to participate in the All-Star weekend service event.

The Friday events of All-Star weekend usually include player sessions with the media and the rookie game.

source : NBA.com

Spurs Collect Fourth Championship Rings Before Opener

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 30 (AP) -- A lone spotlight beamed down on the center of the court at the AT&T Center on Tuesday, highlighting in all its golden glory the San Antonio Spurs' latest championship trophy.

"San Antonio: Where dynasties happen,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said.

And with that the Spurs held the final celebration of their fourth title in nine seasons before getting started on defending it in the season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Demonstrating the team-first attitude Stern said the Spurs embody, the team's rings -- 14-karat gold and bearing almost 4.5 carats of diamonds -- were handed out first to the coaches, then to players in alphabetical order.

"You know better than I do that your Spurs play with a team-first and a community-first attitude,'' Stern said. "That has made them the apple of your eye and has also make them four-time NBA champions.''

The Spurs swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games for the title. The celebration in San Antonio lasted several days, culminating with a parade along the city's famed River Walk and a party at the Alamodome.

The handmade rings -- with diamonds in round, princess and baguette shapes -- say "NBA Champions'' on the face and show the team's spur logo. In all, 21 rings were doled out in the pregame ceremony Tuesday. Eleven players from last year's team are returning this season.

"It's beautiful. It's a very nice ring, one of our best,'' Tim Duncan said after the Spurs beat Portland 106-97.

On one side of the ring is the Spurs' playoff record of 16-4, the NBA logo and the player's number and name. On the other side is the year, 2007, and a hammer splitting a rock.

"You are truly the best fans in the NBA,'' Duncan told the cheering crowd during the ceremony.

After getting their rings, several players showed their sparkling fists off to fans and closely examined their new diamond-encrusted hardware. It was the seventh ring for veteran Robert Horry and the fourth for Duncan, but for several players, such as veteran Michael Finley, it was their first.

Perhaps the greatest cheer from the audience came at the close of the ring ceremony, when high in the rafters of the arena a black veil was slowly retracted from the bottom up to reveal the Spurs' newest championship banner.

source : NBA.com

Nets Are Threat With Added Depth

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 30 (AP) -- Being out of the spotlight in the Eastern Conference is just fine with the New Jersey Nets.

Let the new-look Celtics, the young Bulls, and LeBron James and his Cavaliers have all the attention heading into the season.

The Nets believe that with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and a two-deep rotation at every position, they have more than enough to make the playoffs for a seventh straight season and to challenge for a third trip to the NBA finals since 2002.

With the season opener against Chicago on tap for Wednesday night, Kidd went so far as to say this is the best team that he has played on, other than the U.S. team that qualified for the Olympics this past summer.

His boldness is linked to the combination of talent and ambition -- veterans playing for contracts mixed with young players working hard to earn more minutes.

"There's a lot of pieces that I'm very excited about,'' the eight-time All-Star point guard said. "If we can be consistent throughout the long haul, then hopefully we'll be the team at the top -- and not just the top of the Atlantic, but the top of the Eastern Conference.''

There are some who think the Nets are on the downward cycle after posting a 41-41 record last season and being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by James and company.

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source : NBA.com

It's Not Just Three For The Show

The Celtics' new star trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce is on the cover of Sports Illustrated's and ESPN the Magazine's NBA previews, not the reigning champion Spurs. ESPN sent a private jet for the three to film commercials in Bristol, Conn., NBA's Inside Stuff interviewed them in Rome, and TNT's John Thompson flew to New York to ask them questions. There are 19 Celtics games scheduled for ESPN, TNT, and NBATV, with more nationally televised contests possible. The majority of home games are sold out, their jerseys are flying off the shelves, and their slogan this season is the far-from-shy "THINK BIG."

Yes, green is the new color of the NBA, even though today's Celtics have yet to play a real game together. Boston's heralded trio and coach Doc Rivers, however, won't believe the hype.

"There is nothing I can do about it," Rivers said. "I don't do the picking. We haven't done anything. We haven't proven anything. We can't look further than the next day."

Said Allen: "Every year there is going to be somebody, whether it's commercials or on the cover of magazines. And every year there is going to be a new segment of shoes coming out, a new segment of commercials coming out. It's just part of the business.

"We just know that at every year at a certain time we have certain things to take care of. People are going to speculate how they want about who is going to finish where. At some point the ball is going to go up and you have to start winning."

While the NBA season officially starts tonight, the ball doesn't officially go up for the Celtics until Friday against Washington at TD Banknorth Garden. Sure, the hype may be out of control. But the excitement and potential for greatness is legitimate.

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source : boston.com

Pavlovic Ends Holdout, Agrees To Three-Year Deal With Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers and restricted free agent Sasha Pavlovic have agreed to a three-year deal, Pavlovic's agent Marc Cornstein told ESPN.com.

Cornstein refused to give the numbers on the contract.

"Sasha is very excited to be returning to the Cavs," Cornstein said. "I believe he can help the Cavs build on the success they had last year."

The two sides had been at a standstill for much of the summer. Cornstein said that there was little movement until the last few days when Cleveland began to put a more serious offer on the table.

"Cleveland made great strides in the last few days to show how much they truely value Sasha and to ensure that we closed on this deal for the start of the season," Cornstein said.


When will he return to the Cavs?

Pavlovic is in Serbia at the moment and is preparing to return to the United States. He'll likely return to Cleveland on Wednesday but it's unlikely he'll play.

When his contract gets done, Cornstein said Pavlovic is ready to play.

"He's been working out twice a day with a personal coach. He'll be in excellent condition. Once everything is official he'll be ready to go."

The Cavs' other restricted free agent holdout, Anderson Varejao, remains unsigned with sources close to the negotiations claiming that the two sides are still far apart with little movement over the last week.

The Cavs struggled in the preseason without Pavlovic and Varejao. The team posted a 1-6 record and was blown out in the past few games.

The team's struggles, combined with a lack of offseason moves by Cavs GM Danny Ferry, led to LeBron James complaining publicly about the state of the team last week in a Q&A with the Akron Beacon Journal's Brian Windhorst.

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source : sports.espn.go.com

Randy Foye Medical Update

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that guard Randy Foye has suffered a stress reaction of his left patella (knee cap). On Monday, Foye received an MRI and a CT Scan, which revealed the injury. Foye will be out indefinitely.

Foye, a second-year guard from Villanova, earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 2006-07. The seventh overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, Foye played in all 82 games for the Wolves, including 12 starts. He averaged 10.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.8 apg in 22.9 mpg, becoming the first Wolves rookie double-digit scorer since Wally Szczerbiak.

Foye finished 19th in the league in free throw accuracy at 85.4%, breaking Christian Laettner's franchise rookie record (83.5%). He finished the season strong by averaging 15.4 ppg while shooting 52.9% in April. In the 2007 preseason, Foye appeared in three games (two starts) and averaged 17.3 minutes per game.

source : NBA.com

Juwan Howard Coming, Cleveland Opener, Moe Ager Extended

The Mavericks picked up some much-needed frontline help by agreeing to terms on a free-agent contract with Juwan Howard on Tuesday. The deal, however, can’t be completed until Howard clears waivers Wednesday afternoon, but both sides have agreed in principle.

Howard (6-9, 253) hit the open market after Minnesota bought out his contract Monday. He should join the Mavs on the current two-game road trip, perhaps as early as the season opener Wednesday night at Cleveland. Dallas is at Atlanta on Friday.

The power forward has averaged 16.1 points and 7.1 rebounds over his 12-year career, including a stint in Dallas over parts of two seasons (2000-01 and ’01-02). He started 38 games with Houston last season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

“Juwan was too big of an opportunity to pass up,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told mavs.com. “Juwan is a winner, he’s a leader and he knows the Maverick way.

“He can swing from the ‘4’ to ‘5,’ so it gives us tremendous flexibility on the frontline.”

Howard should join the rotation immediately backing up Gana Diop and Dirk Nowitzki up front. The Mavs were in need of help inside, especially with Erick Dampier out with a shoulder injury. Brandon Bass was the only other healthy big man with NBA experience on the roster.

The team made room for Howard by releasing four-year center DJ Mbenga, who recently returned from a knee injury. Mbenga (7-0, 240) played three seasons in Dallas and holds career averages of 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 79 games.

Mbenga played in 21 games last season before suffering a torn right ACL on Feb. 7. His only action of the preseason was in the finale against Chicago. Mbenga recorded five rebounds, two blocked shots and an assist in 12 minutes of action.

“DJ needs an opportunity to play and develop,” Nelson said. “We appreciate everything he’s done for us and he’s been a big part of our success. We’re hopeful that with playing time, whether it’s in the NBA or Europe, he’ll be able to join our team in the future.”

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source : NBA.com

Spurs: It's Out With Old Season, In With New

Two years ago, Spurs guard Brent Barry celebrated his first NBA championship ring with a gesture quite progressive and European.

He kissed the man who gave it to him — that would be commissioner David Stern — squarely on the cheek.

As far as famous kisses go, it wasn't exactly Rhett and Scarlett in "Gone With the Wind."

"It was like kissing my grandmother," Barry recalled this week.

Fair warning to Stern: Barry has been preparing his encore for two years. When you hand him his second ring prior to the Spurs' season-opener against Portland tonight, you might want to duck.

Or run.

No matter what Barry has in store, it ought to be an interesting night indeed.

Spurs players will collect their rings. A fourth NBA championship banner will be raised to the AT&T Center rafters. Kisses may or may not be exchanged.

The past will be celebrated. And just as quickly, it will be forgotten.

Tonight's ring ceremony marks the official end of the Spurs' 2007 championship party. By the time it's over, a new task — a new season — will be at hand.

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source : mysanantonio.com

Bynum's Got Game -- At Least Half Of It

Andrew Bynum is getting pretty good at slamming the ball through the hoop. Now all he has to do is remember there's another hoop at the other end of the court as well.

They don't play half-court basketball in the NBA.

Starting his third season in the league, the Lakers' 20-year-old center finished up the exhibition season Friday with his best offensive game. He hit seven of 10 shots from the floor against the Sacramento Kings and totaled 18 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes.

His progress on defense, however, continues to lag.

"It's harder on defense because you've got to anticipate, you've got to see what's coming," said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Laker Hall of Fame center who serves as Bynum's personal coach. "Offense is more spontaneous. That's stuff you learn in fifth and sixth grade, but he's trying to learn it now."

Especially his transition defense, from scorer to defender.

"He takes a little bit of time to celebrate," Abdul-Jabbar said. "You see him smile. He's stoked about it, but hey, I wish was 19 or 20. I'd be having the same kind of fun.

"He's starting to recognize opportunities in the game, starting to gain wisdom about the game that you get from minutes [of playing time]."

Those minutes were nonexistent in college, which Bynum skipped to turn pro. He was the youngest player ever drafted, taken by the Lakers at 17 with the 10th pick in 2005.

"He never played a whole season in high school," Abdul-Jabbar said. "My first season of organized ball was fourth grade. His was 10th grade. That's six years. When you're young like that, it's crucial. It's harder to develop when you're older.

"He's at point now where he sees how he can use his physical gifts to affect the game and he's doing a better job of it."

Along with his lessons on the court, Bynum has been learning some harsh realities about life in the NBA. His name was prominent in off-season trade rumors and prominent as well in an infamous amateur video in which Kobe Bryant endorsed a Bynum trade if it would help the club.

Bynum just shrugs his large shoulders at such talk. Just another reminder he's not in high school anymore.

source : latimes.com